The World Packaging Organisation (WPO) will be holding its first board meeting of the year during IPACK IMA 2022 in Milan. The participation also marks the first physical meeting of WPO since the beginning of the pandemic.

WPO president Pierre Pienaar said, “The expectations are huge not only about all the WPO activities planned for the week in Milan, but also about the physical interactions with WPO members and friends and, of course, all the innovation that we will be able to see at the trade show”. 

Among the main activities of WPO during IPACK IMA 2022, according to Pienaar, is the WorldStar ceremony, on May 4 and the board meeting on May 5.

“Currently, we have confirmed 36 professionals representing WPO members from 29 countries who will attend the board meeting on Thursday,” he said.  

On the first day of IPACK IMA on May 3, WPO will receive the local and international press at a press conference in which Pienaar will give an overview of the situation of the packaging industry around the globe, covering some aspects of COVID-19, as well as the various projects that WPO has been working on the past two years and future plans. 

The press conference will also have other special participations by: Valerio Soli, president of IpackIma Srl, who will highlight the collaboration between IPACK IMA and WPO and the international feature of the show, and Soha Atallah, WPO VP and WorldStar coordinator, who will give a teaser about the main innovations to be seen among WorldStar winners that will be announced on May 4.  

WPO VP of sustainability and save food Nerida Kelton will also participate at the press conference to formally launch the ‘Waste Stream Mapping Guides’ project as a part of the ‘Global Packaging Design for Recycling Guide’ program.

The WorldStar Award Ceremony is another important attraction of WPO week in Milan. On the night of May 4, the 110 winners of the 2022 edition will be announced, as well as the winners for the WorldStar Special Categories – President’s Award, Sustainability, Marketing and Packaging that Saves Food – in addition to the winners of the Lifetime Packaging Achievement Award and the WorldStar Student Awards. 

Pienaar and Kelton will also speak at ‘Packaging that Speaks Green’ conference run by UCIMA at IPACK IMA. This international forum intents to share culture of sustainability and circular economy in the packaging supply chain.

In addition, Pienaar will be speaking on May 4 as keynote in the Pharma session and Kelton on May 3 in the Regulatory Framework session.